Weekly Roundup For Your Weekend Reading – August 18

“Luther maintained that theology is not learned only in the safety of a lecture hall, but in the flames of adversity. In fiery trials, one is humbled and broken. It is then that a leader is made most teachable. In difficult times, the illuminating work of the Holy Spirit often shines brightest. Broken hearts make for receptive minds….”

Convicting! I find that the point of this article is not to berate American Christians, but to call them to behold the glory and grace of Christ’s sacrifice. It calls attention to something that often hinders that in American Christianity, namely, the relative ease and comfort in which we live.

“Christianity in America has become so accommodating, so unexacting, so facile, that we have numbed ourselves to what it truly means to be a follower of Christ . And, perhaps more importantly, what was accomplished for us as a result of God volitionally bringing about that reality in our lives. Has the easiness of American Christianity reduced the cross of Christ to a mere symbol in our eyes? Or do we carry within us the incredible weight of knowing that the cross is absolutely the only means by which a just and holy God could ever be satisfied with sinners like you and me?….”

I appreciate this take because it makes clear that entertainment has its place in life and it also makes it clear that its place is not in our congregational worship settings.

“The beauty of worship is that it is infinitely more powerful than entertainment. Entertainment seeks to replicate drama and awe. But the grace of God in worship unveils the deepest drama in the world and produces authentic awe in the light of the revelation of God….”